Friday, May 29, 2009

Handmade Mart - Sunday, May 31st!!!!!


You can see me and my wares at the Handmade Mart on Sunday! Booth #54. Hope to see you there!

May 31, 2009, 10am-5pm
Ellsworth Drive (Between Fenton Ave. and Georgia Ave.)
Downtown Silver Spring


The Handmade Mart will be rolling into Downtown Silver Spring on Sunday, May 31st
Powered by the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, the Handmade Mart will host more than 50 independent crafters for a unique shopping experience along the bustling Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring (click for map).


Along with an awesome array of craft vendors, the Handmade Mart will also feature a full day of live indie rock, and hands-on workshops at the Pyramid Atlantic Store.

Stage Schedule
12:00pm -12:30pm
Pash
1:00pm - 2:30pm The Paul Green School of Rock Music
3:00pm - 3:45pm The Aquarium
4:15pm - 5:00pm Yell County

Workshops at the Pyramid Atlantic Store
Screen Printing! Bring your own T-shirt to screen.
Jewelry Making! Learn the basics and take home your very own handmade gift.
Kid Crafts! Fun craft projects for the young ones.


Check out the Vendors!
Go to handmademart.blogspot.com to see the full vendor profiles and find their booths on the Official Vendor Map.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Inspiration Revealed

My creation

1. DSCF7030-1, 2. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace - Day 2 green, 3. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace, 4. Lovely, 5. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace - Blue- Macro 365/130, 6. Eggs - Macro 365/130, 7. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace - Blue- Macro 365/131, 8. Macro 365/118, 9. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace- Red, 10. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace - Yellow, 11. Lovely, 12. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace - Blue- Macro 365/130, 13. Dyed Queen Anne's Lace - Green

My Queen Anne's Lace items were inspired by some photos I took last year of the flower after soaking them in water with food coloring. They turned the loveliest blues, pinks, yellows and greens which inspired my color choices.

To make your own colored Queen Anne's Lace, just add a few drops of food coloring to the water before placing the flower stem in. You'll be amazed at how fast they begin to change color. Experiment with how much food coloring you use to get different colors. Don't be afraid to mix the colors too. This is a wonderful activity to do with children and the colored flowers would make a lovely centerpiece for any gathering.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Something new.... Trees

















This weekend I was compelled to work on something besides clay and jewelry. I have a show coming up this weekend ( the 2nd one this month) and I needed a break from the production. I wanted to make something just for the sake of making something with no pressure about getting sales, feedback or promoting. What was I going to make? I didn't want to use clay, I didn't want to spend money on supplies and I wanted to make some "green" art since polymer clay isn't very green and I do like to upcycle whenever I can. The answer came in a stack of catalogs that have been sitting in my closet forever. I knew they would come in handy at some point, so I just couldn't throw them a way (Yes, I'm a pack rat when it comes to possible art supplies). Earlier in the week, I helped feed Kyle's creative bug by having him cut out shapes from magazines to create a collage, so I figured I would do the same. I don't like cutting much so I grabbed my trusty circle cutters that I use for making stickers and tags for my promo materials and atrted punching. I punched a bunch of different sizes and separated them by colors. Now I had to decide what to make, so of course I immediately throught of trees. I have made bubble tree ACEO's and pendant;s. so I just went with it and I like how they turned out. I actually spent most of Friday and Saturday punching and arranging and gluing (Yes, I did stop long enough to feed my kids). I started with simple trees the like the ones above and below and uses some cedar wood samples as my canvas:














Then I started getting a little complicated:















































While I said I wasn't going to worry about sales, I do plan on offering the trees as prints in my new Etsy shop that will be opening this summer which will focus on prints of my artwork and photos (of course there will be a big blog announcement and grand opening sales once I get it started). I wanted to wait to share them until then, but I hadn't blogged in so long and they really gave me something to blog about.

Take some time this week to create something totally new. Don't put a lot of thought into it and just go with what you're feeling. Lose yourself for a while in your new endeavor. Try to upcycle something that's laying around your house (or stuffed in your closet). If you make something inspired by this post, please send me a photo and short description, and I will be sure to post it here.

I leave you with a collage Kyle was inspired to make after watching me create mine. He's already asked me to add it to my Etsy shop too:

Friday, May 8, 2009

Squidfire this Weekend!!!!

Here's why I've been light on the posts this week:

I'll be at the Squidfire’s 2009 Spring Art Mart with the BEST team!
Saturday May 9, 11-6pm
Mt. Vernon Square (Between Charles and Cathedral Streets)
Baltimore, MD 21201

We'll be there with over 50 of the best local and regional crafters and artists as they display their handmade wares in the most beautiful park in the city. The event goes on rain or shine. I hope to see you there!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Through My Eyes - Subconscious

Lots of things inspired me this past week.

Raindrops (and we've had plenty of them).

DSCF5967

Helicopters:

Helicopters

Rust:

Rust

A Last minute carved blocks with metallic gold ink:

WIP

Words intermingled with leaves:

WIP

I thought it was kind of interesting that all the photos were of the same warm tones and that there was a metallic quality to them. I often notice there is a theme or common color in things that catch my eye and taking photos really helps you find out what's inspiring you over a given period of time. The last 2 pics are from some spontaneous art I was working on this weekend. I was clearly inspired to use the metallics that had been dancing in my mind all week.

Take your camera out this week and shoot pictures of things that catch your fancy. At the end of the week look over all of your photos and see if you see any interesting commonalities. Your subconscious may be trying to tell you something. Create something inspired by what you find!

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